'Odisha train accident has nothing to do with Kavach': Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on what caused the tragedy

Refuting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's allegation that the Odisha train accident could have been averted with a Kavach (anti-collision) device, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Sunday that a "change in electronic interlocking" was the real reason for the tragic train accident in Odisha's Balasore.

Electronic interlocking is an arrangement of signal apparatus that prevents conflicting movements between trains through an arrangement of tracks. It is basically a safety measure to prevent signals from being changed in an improper sequence. The aim of this system is that no train gets the signal to proceed unless the route is proven safe.

"The inquiry into the accident has been completed, and as soon as the commissioner of railway safety (CRS) provides his report, all the details will be known. The root cause of the horrifying incident has been identified. I do not want to go into details. Let the report come out. I will just say that the root cause and the people responsible have been identified," the railway minister said.

"The change that occurred during electronic interlocking caused the accident. Whoever did it and how it happened will be found out after a proper investigation," Vaihsnaw told ANI.

"I also want to say that Kavach has nothing to do with the accident. This accident occurred due to changes to the electronic interlocking system. The remarks of (West Bengal chief minister) Mamata Banerjee is not true," Vaishnaw added.

The crash involving the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, which were carrying around 2,500 passengers, and a goods train occurred around 7 p.m. on Friday near the Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore. At least 288 people were killed and over 1,100 were injured in the accident.

According to PTI, the preliminary probe report said the signal was given and taken off for the main line for train number 12841 (Coromandel Express). The train entered the loop line, dashed with the goods train, and derailed. In the meantime, train number 12864 (Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express) passed through the down main line, and two of its coaches derailed and capsized, the report said.

Speaking to reporters at the accident site, Vaishnaw said that restoration work is going on and normalcy will be restored before Wednesday morning.

"There are two main lines and two loop lines. The work is underway, and we will definitely complete restoration well before our target of Wednesday morning," Vaishnaw said.

A workforce of over 1000 people is engaged in the work. More than seven Poclain machines, two accident relief trains, and 3–4 railway and road cranes are deployed, the ministry stated.

Seven National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, five Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) units, and 24 fire services and emergency units were involved in rescue operations.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) deployed Mi-17 helicopters for the evacuation of the deceased and injured. According to the Eastern Command, the IAF coordinated rescue efforts with the civil administration and Indian Railways.

With PTI and ANI Inputs